Northeastern State University

Department of Languages and Literature

INFORMATION FOR OREGON TRIP PARTICIPANTS

May 15, 2009

WELCOME TO THE OREGON TRAIL

Welcome to our group of 22 bound for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland! Thank you very much for choosing to go with us. Olaf Standley, who is serving as my graduate teaching assistant for this course, and I want to do everything we can to make your week as pleasant and educational as possible. At any time, now or on the trip, please let us know if you have questions or if we can help you in any way. Here is our contact information:

John Mercer

E-mail: mercer@nsuok.edu or mercer25@cox.net

Faculty Web site with trip and course information: http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~mercer

Home: 918-745-2363

Office: 918-449-6541

Cell: 918-576-4949

Olaf Standley

E-mail: pstandley07@yahoo.com or standleo@nsuok.edu

Cell: 918-851-3750

Office (in NSU-BA library): 918-449-6458

WEATHER & CLOTHING

Casual clothing is acceptable for all events.
Weather is unpredictable two weeks in advance. The best way to determine what the weather will be like in Ashland while we’re there is to check the weather forecast on the Internet in the last few days before we leave.
When we were in Ashland at the same time last year, the high temperatures were in the 60s and the lows were in the 40s or upper 30s. We experienced a mixture of light rain, clouds, and sun. Because many people in our group were not prepared for the cool, rainy weather, they had to spend a lot of time and money in Ashland buying raingear, hooded jackets, and warm clothing of all kinds. Please be prepared!
Although daytime highs can be in the 80s or even 90s in Ashland in June, the temperature immediately plunges as soon as the sun goes down. (This immediate cooling at nightfall is a big difference between Oregon and Oklahoma weather.) On three nights we will be attending plays beginning at 8:30 p.m. in the outdoor Elizabethan Theatre. Temperatures could be as low as the 40s, and the performances are not canceled for light rain.
Our dorm at Southern Oregon University will have air conditioning. (Last year we definitely did not use it!) The two indoor theatres of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival are, of course, air conditioned.
Bring the following items:

comfortable walking shoes
layers of clothing that you can add or remove depending on the temperature
warm clothing, including gloves, for outdoor evening performances in the Elizabethan Theatre
raingear, including perhaps a hooded jacket and a collapsible umbrella

FLIGHTS

This flight information applies primarily to the eighteen (18) of us who are flying together. Four (4) others of our group will fly on their own and meet us at Southern Oregon University in Ashland.

BAGGAGE (For more complete information about baggage requirements, go to www.united.com.):

Checked baggage: Pack light! As my well-traveled father always said, “Take half as many clothes and twice as much money.” United Airlines now charges $15 to check one bag and $25 to check a second bag (and reserves the right to charge more for bags weighing more than fifty [50] pounds). These baggage fees are NOT included in the price of your trip. If you check a bag, United will charge you these fees both on May 30 and on June 6. You may pay at the ticket counter by credit or debit card (and probably in cash). If you pay by credit or debit card at the United Airlines Web site within twenty-four (24) hours of our scheduled departure, however, the charge drops to $11 for the first bag and $21 for the second bag. If you wish, you may also print your boarding pass online within twenty-four (24) hours of our scheduled departure. To pay your checked baggage fee and print your boarding pass online with a credit or debit card, go to www.united.com any time after 4:05 p.m. on Friday, May 29, and enter the group confirmation number (WSGGMS) and your last name.
Carry-on luggage: You are allowed only two (2) carry-on items:

one (1) “personal item” such as a purse, briefcase, or computer bag
one (1) other carry-on bag

All carry-on bags must be able to fit under the seat in front of you or in an overhead bin. No liquids or gels are allowed unless they are in containers no larger than three (3) ounces, all placed inside one (1) quart-size clear plastic zipper bag. You may carry beverages onto the plane only if you purchase them in the airport after you go through security.

MEETING THE GROUP: By 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, please meet the group just outside the United Airlines terminal at Tulsa International Airport. Although we are ticketed individually this year, please do NOT proceed to the United Airlines ticket counter before meeting the group. If you are going to be late, please telephone me on my cell phone at 918-576-4949.

AIRLINE ITINERARY: We are scheduled to depart from Tulsa on United flight 5883 at 4:05 p.m. on Saturday, May 30. We are scheduled to return to Tulsa on United flight 5914 at 3:29 p.m. on Saturday, June 6. Our complete itinerary is in a separate attachment. Airline schedules, including flight numbers and times, are subject to change. I will let you know if I learn of any changes before our departure.

MEALS ON FLIGHT DAYS: Unless you bring food with you, you will need to buy your own supper in the Denver airport on May 30 and your own breakfast and/or lunch in the Denver airport on June 6. Our layover in Denver on May 30 is scheduled to last only 69 minutes, so your time to purchase and eat food then will be limited. Our layover in Denver on June 6, however, is scheduled to last more than three (3) hours.

GROUND TRANSPORTATION IN OREGON

The group will rent three (3) minivans, each holding a maximum of six (6) people, at the Medford airport. Unless you are renting your own car and opting out of group transportation, the cost of your trip includes all your transportation

between the Medford airport and Southern Oregon University
in Ashland, between the university and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival downtown
to Crater Lake and Mount Ashland for side trips

HOUSING

CHECKING IN: Again this year we will be staying at Cox Hall on the campus of Southern Oregon University in Ashland. The university requests that the entire group check into the dorm at the same time. If our flight into Medford arrives on time (7:45 p.m.), we should be at Cox Hall by around 8:45 p.m. on May 30. If you are flying to Oregon on your own, please meet us at Cox Hall at 8:45.

ACCOMMODATIONS: A housing list (in Microsoft Excel) with room numbers and roommates is being sent to you by separate attachment. You have signed up and paid for either a regular dorm room with bath down the hall or a room with a private bath. The regular dorm rooms, which are in the older part of the dorm, have two twin beds. (People of both genders may be staying on each floor, so you may wish to bring a robe to wear down the hall to the bathroom.) The rooms with private bathroom, which are in a new annex to the dorm, have two double beds, a clock radio with alarm, and a micro fridge.

Sheets and white towels will be provided for both types of rooms. You will receive fresh towels once during the week. If you wish to bring an additional towel and/or wash cloth, bring any color except white. Bring the following items:

o soap and soap dish

o shampoo

o alarm clock (if you are staying in a regular dorm room)

EMERGENCY NUMBERS: Although the most efficient way for people to reach you will be to call your cell phone, here are some emergency numbers at Southern Oregon University:

Conference Office: (800) 257-0577, extension 4 (only during business hours)
Conference staff-on-duty cell phone: (541) 944-1408
Campus Public Safety: (541) 552-6911

FOOD

BREAKFAST: Breakfast in SOU’s Cascade Food Court, across the street from Cox Hall, is included in the cost of your trip. The food is plentiful and tasty. Breakfast will NOT be provided on Saturday, June 6, because we have to leave for the airport at 4:30 a.m., long before breakfast is served. The evening before our departure, you can buy food, if you wish, at the grocery store across the street from our dorm.

LUNCH & DINNER: You will be paying for your own lunch and dinner each day. Officially, we’re not supposed to eat these meals in the SOU Cascade Food Court because we have not paid for them in advance. In practice, however, you may be able to pay at the door for individual lunches and dinners if you are on campus at meal time. (As a group, however, we will not be able to eat here.) Various eating places are available on campus, near campus, and in town near the OSF theatres. A grocery store is across the street from campus. The cost of your meals will depend, of course, on your own choices, but I would recommend that you budget, if possible, at least $25 a day or $175 for the week for your lunches and dinners.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

A tentative schedule for the week is being sent to you by separate attachment. Because this trip is designed to allow students to earn three (3) hours of credit in only six (6) days, our schedule in Ashland will be very full and demanding but also enjoyable and even exhilarating. Everyone taking the trip has paid for all scheduled events presented by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). Those not taking the course for credit are also welcome to attend our class sessions. Students enrolled for academic credit are required to attend all performances, OSF presentations, and class sessions.